It's not the age... it's the kid. Back when I was 14 (and dinosaurs roamed the earthcb1000rider wrote:I believe children should be taught firearm safety, absolutely... But I'm not sure a 12 year old or a 16 year old can safely make a determination of when to pull and when not to pull at home... Even at 18 - if you teach them "see someone you don't recognize at the door" - may very well be not a good outcome. The converse is true, also... So in my mind it's not made up.
) I got a 20ga shotgun for Christmas. Shortly after I got it, I began keeping it under my bed @ loaded... with my parent's permission.The biggest difference is how they're raised. I grew up around guns, shotguns mostly. When we went to my grandparents' house, my grandfather's shotgun stood behind a door frame. We learned early that it was an object to be respected and not ever touched, for any reason. The first time my grandfather asked me to go get it was a big day I'll remember forever. I ran into the house and told my mother and grandmother that he told me to bring it to him. Then, and only then, did I get it and carefully walk it back out to where he was. I was literally in awe that he trusted me to bring it. I think I was 9 or 10.